Google just gave thousands of employees an offer they can’t refuse: take money and leave, or stick around and maybe get fired later. It’s corporate downsizing with a smile and a severance check.

The tech giant is rolling out “voluntary exit programs” across multiple divisions, including its crown jewel search and advertising units. Translation? Google wants to shrink its workforce without the bad PR of mass layoffs. Again.

The Soft Sell Approach

Google’s latest cost-cutting move affects employees throughout the company, from the search teams that built the empire to the central engineering groups that keep it running. The “voluntary exit program” applies to U.S.-based employees, and some teams are also mandating office returns for remote workers who live within 50 miles of an office, according to CNBC.

“Earlier this year, some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance for U.S.-based Googlers, and several more are now offering the program to support our important work ahead,”

Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini told Investopedia. Notice how they frame job cuts as “supporting important work.” That’s some next-level corporate speak.

The Writing’s Been on the Wall

This isn’t Google’s first rodeo with workforce reductions. The company has been playing musical chairs with employee headcount since early 2023, when it axed about 12,000 workers in one brutal sweep. Throughout 2024, more rounds of layoffs followed, and now 2025 has brought this “gentler” approach of paying people to quit.

The timing isn’t coincidental. The petition calls on Google CEO Sundar Pichai to offer buyouts before conducting layoffs and to guarantee severance to employees that do get laid off, after over 1,400 employees signed a petition demanding job security. Apparently, Google listened—sort of.

Follow the Money Trail

Here’s what makes this particularly interesting: Google’s stock actually climbed 1% after announcing the buyouts, even though the company is down over 5% for 2025. Investors love cost-cutting, even when it means gutting the teams that built Google’s $307 billion empire.

The buyout program has expanded far beyond its original scope. What started as targeted offers to hardware and platform teams in January, affecting over 25,000 employees in divisions like Android, Chrome, and Pixel, has now spread to Google’s core search and advertising businesses.

The Carrot and Stick Method

Google’s approach is shrewd. By offering voluntary buyouts, they avoid the optics nightmare of forced layoffs while still achieving their headcount reduction goals. It’s like asking someone to break up with you instead of doing the dirty work yourself. The severance packages aren’t terrible either. Based on previous Google programs, employees typically get around 16 weeks of salary plus two weeks for every additional year at the company. Not bad for a “voluntary” departure.

But here’s the kicker: those remote workers living near offices are being told to return to hybrid schedules. It’s a not-so-subtle hint that the work-from-home party is over, and if you don’t like it, there’s a buyout waiting for you.

AI Spending Meets Reality

The real driver behind all this cost-cutting? Google is pouring ridiculous amounts of money into AI development while trying to maintain profitability. The company is spending an estimated $75 billion on AI infrastructure this year alone, and that money has to come from somewhere. CFO Anat Ashkenazi has made cost-cutting one of her top priorities, and these buyouts are part of a broader strategy to “focus” Google’s workforce on AI initiatives. In corporate terms, that means: if you’re not working on AI, you might not be working at Google much longer.

The Human Cost of “Optimization”

Behind all the corporate euphemisms are real people facing real decisions. Google employees are essentially being asked to gamble: take the guaranteed severance now, or risk getting laid off later with potentially worse terms.

Some teams have been hit particularly hard. The Platforms and Devices division, which includes popular products like Android and Pixel, has seen hundreds of layoffs already this year, even after the voluntary buyout programs.

What This Really Means

Google’s buyout strategy reveals three uncomfortable truths about today’s tech industry:

  • First, no job at a tech company is truly safe, even at the most successful companies. Google is still massively profitable, but that’s not enough to guarantee job security.
  • Second, the AI revolution is forcing companies to reallocate resources dramatically. Traditional roles are being eliminated to fund AI development, whether employees like it or not.
  • Third, companies have learned that “voluntary” departures create less backlash than traditional layoffs, even when the end result is the same.

The Big Picture

Google’s approach might seem more humane than sudden layoffs, but it’s still fundamentally about reducing headcount to boost margins. The company is betting that it can operate more efficiently with fewer people while investing heavily in AI. Whether this strategy works long-term remains to be seen. But for now, thousands of Google employees are facing a choice: take the money and run, or stick around and hope they’re not next on the chopping block.

In Silicon Valley, even getting fired comes with a nice severance package. That’s either progress or a really expensive way to say goodbye.

This analysis reflects the author’s interpretation of industry developments and quantum computing prospects. Past performance of quantum computing promises does not guarantee future results.